Ever find yourself doing something very repetitive and slightly boring, yet you continue doing it as if you're in a trance. Well, boring this game is not, but it will definitely cast a spell on you. Katamari Damacy is one of those games that comes out of nowhere and smacks you upside the head to remind you that there's still a speck of creativity left in the industry. I mean, how many more Vietnam/Desert Storm war games can we take?

The beauty of this game lies within two things: totally offbeat gameplay and intuitive controls. First the controls. This game and the dual analog sticks are a match made in gaming heaven. It only took a minute to breeze through the controls tutorial, which gives gamers a few basic things to do to familiarize themselves with the controls. After that, the mayhem ensues.

This story goes something like this (sorry I skipped most of the cut scenes). Your father, the King of All Cosmos, has accidently wiped out all the stars in the sky. As the Prince of All Cosmos, your job is to roll stuff up with a katamari (a ball that has bumps all over it), then somehow, the King tosses the ball-o-crap into space and it turns into a star. End of story.

What does this ball consist of might you ask. Well, it's like I said before, it's a ball of crap. You pretty much roll anything and everything into your katamari, including people, children, pineapples, dogs, trees, stadiums, fish, clouds, sumo wrestlers, fire hydrants, sheep, God of rain, etc.

Now, you might ask, why should I buy this game? Well, first off, for all you cheap bastards out there like me, this game is $14.99 (Viewful Joe, another great cheap game for CBs). Second, the rolling action in the game will keep you entertained for hours on end. It also has great replay value because bigger is always better in this game. And if you're a parent looking for a game for your child, yet you don't feel they're ready to be exposed to the wonderful world of Grand Theft Auto, then this is the one game to get for him/her/it. There is nothing objectionable in the game (except the King's fashion sense) in terms of language or themes. It gets the Ghost Writer's Seal of Excellence, a rare honor bestowed upon the greatest of games. On a side note, beware of the music in the game, it will get stuck in your head. Naa Naaaanaa, na na na na na na na na na na na na naaaa.

                                                              -Ghost Writer